How We Calculate Cost of Living Across 342+ Cities
Voyica calculates cost of living by cross-referencing Numbeo, Expatistan, and local expat community data for 342+ cities. Three trip modes adjust the math: Short Stay weights hotels and restaurants, Extended Stay normalizes to monthly rent and coworking, and Relocator factors in long-term housing, groceries, and healthcare. Each city gets a detailed breakdown across rent, food, transport, utilities, entertainment, and coworking. A 0-100 normalized score lets you compare cities on a single slider. The system updates quarterly, and the methodology is fully transparent so you know exactly what drives each number. No single index tells the full story, which is why we combine multiple sources and let you pick the lens that matches your travel style.
After building cost models for hundreds of cities and hearing feedback from thousands of nomads and expats, we have refined this methodology over multiple iterations. Cost of living is the single most searched metric for anyone considering a move abroad or planning an extended trip. But "cost of living" means different things depending on whether you're a tourist staying two weeks, a digital nomad spending three months, or someone relocating permanently. Voyica handles all three scenarios with dedicated cost normalization modes.
Where the data comes from
Voyica's cost data is compiled from multiple sources to reduce the bias of any single index:
- Numbeo Cost of Living Index — The most widely referenced cost-of-living database, covering grocery prices, restaurant costs, transportation, and utilities across thousands of cities.
- Expatistan — A complementary cost comparison tool that uses a different methodology, helping us cross-validate Numbeo figures and catch outliers.
- Local expat community data — For cities where index data is sparse or outdated, we supplement with reports from expat forums, nomad communities, and on-the-ground research.
Rental costs specifically reflect average 1-bedroom apartment prices in city centers, sourced from the same databases plus local real estate platforms.
The three trip modes
When you switch between trip modes in Voyica, the cost calculations change to reflect realistic spending patterns:
- Short Stay (Tourist) — Weights hotel/Airbnb costs, restaurant dining, and activity spending higher. Assumes you're eating out for most meals and paying tourist-level accommodation rates.
- Extended Stay (Digital Nomad) — Normalizes to monthly apartment rent, a mix of cooking and eating out, coworking membership fees, and local transport passes. This is the most popular mode among Voyica users.
- Relocator — Factors in longer-term housing costs, utilities, grocery-heavy food budgets, healthcare considerations, and other monthly fixed expenses that become relevant when you're settling in for 6+ months.
Cost breakdown categories
For each city, Voyica tracks detailed cost breakdowns across these categories (in USD per month for Extended Stay mode):
- Rent — 1BR apartment, city center
- Food — Mix of groceries and dining out
- Transport — Monthly pass or average daily commute
- Coworking — Dedicated desk or hot desk membership
- Entertainment — Going out, activities, subscriptions
- Utilities — Electricity, water, internet
The total monthly cost shown in the app is the sum of these categories, adjusted for the selected trip mode. You can see the full breakdown for any city by clicking on it in the interactive map.
How normalization works
Raw cost data varies widely — a $500/month apartment in Chiang Mai and a $3,000/month apartment in Zurich both need to be scored on the same 0-100 scale for the filter system to work. Voyica uses percentile-based normalization: each city's cost is ranked against all other cities in the database, and the score reflects where it falls in the distribution. A score of 80 means the city is cheaper than 80% of all cities tracked.
This approach is more useful than raw dollar amounts for comparison because it accounts for the full range of global costs. It also means the scores automatically adjust as new cities are added to the database.
Budget presets
The walkthrough offers four budget tiers to help you narrow down cities quickly:
- Backpacker — Under $30/day (~$900/mo)
- Budget — $30-75/day (~$900-2,250/mo)
- Mid-Range — $75-150/day (~$2,250-4,500/mo)
- Luxury — $150+/day (~$4,500+/mo)
These map directly to the cost-of-living filter range, so you can start with a preset and fine-tune from there.
Limitations and disclaimers
Cost of living data is inherently approximate. Prices fluctuate with currency exchange rates, seasonal demand, and local economic conditions. Voyica's data is updated periodically but may not reflect real-time changes. Always verify current prices before making financial decisions based on this data.
For the full list of data sources across all metrics (not just cost), see our About page. Have questions about our methodology? Get in touch.